Students of the Month

Friday was the ceremony to honor Kilbourne's April Students of the Month. 32 students were nominated by WKHS staff in recognition for demonstrating the characteristics that are the foundation of the Portrait of a Learner - Confident Communicators, Adaptable Leaders, Critical Thinkers, Responsible Collaborators, and Resilient Learners. Students are only eligible to receive this recognition once throughout their high school career.

Congratulations to the following students who were honored this month: Ben Blankenship, Mia Calcara, Leandro Cobo, Ella Cottell, Allison Davis, Michael Dolciato, Ikrame Eddahraoui, Gavin Exclusa, Kayden Gates, Laney Grant, Lillian Griffith, Scarlett Haase, Cylie Holman, Fatin Juniad, Mia Kim, Hawthorne Kitay, Joshua Krebs, Elena Lively, Isabel Ludsin, Alex McCracken, Reese Miller, Angel Morales Ramirez, Amanda Riberio De Barros, Nayla Riberio De Barros, Brayden Rippel, Justin Serralde Romero, Brooks Tweedle, Addison VanLear, Sophia Wang, Amauri Williams, Traiden Winegar, and KaMaila Woodson-Levey. We are proud of you all!

Making the College Decision

Seniors have 2 weeks left to decide what college they will be attending next year. Remember, there is no right or wrong choice – it is all about what school is the best fit for you and your individual wants and needs in a college. Try to take a deep breath and relax as we head into the final countdown. Trust yourself and know that you will be successful in the future – no matter where you end up!

In talking with some of my students who are stressed about trying to pick which college they will attend, it has become obvious that part of the struggle is even in determining how to compare and contrast them.  As you are starting to think about your different schools, it is essential that you determine what you really want in a school and what is most important to you in a college. If you are still struggling with your choice, then chances are pretty good that the schools that you have narrowed your decision down to are probably relatively similar.

Take the time to go back and look at the same factors you considered when picking which schools you wanted to apply to and try to get really picky about the different factors that played into your choice. Perhaps creating a chart can help you clarify how important each factor is to you and how each school compares in that category. For example, think about the location of the school. How important is that issue to you in picking a college? The schools are likely within your comfort zone of a location from home, but when looking at two colleges consider how far or close they are from your family. What does it mean to you if the school is 10 minutes away, 4 hours away, or a flight away? How important is it to you to be able to come home for an evening, a weekend, or a holiday? You can also look at the size of the school. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the different sizes of schools. For example, the larger school might provide additional choices and the smaller school may provide better teacher/ student ratios. What is more important to you? And if both are important to you then you will need to consider what you will do to adapt to make sure that the school will meet your needs. Consider the social life and activities on and around the campus. Is it what you picture for your college years? Most importantly, you need to figure out what categories and issues are critical to you and compare the schools on those aspects.

If your school comparison charts are similar and you still can’t decide – try to go visit the schools again. Sit in on the classes and, if possible, arrange for an overnight visit (yes, you are running out of time for overnight visits). People watch and consider your interactions with the students on campus. Are the students friendlier at one school over the other? What about the professors you talk to? Are they engaging and whose classes are you most interested in attending? How was school safety? What strategies are in place to help keep students safe? Which campus support staff (admissions, financial aid, etc.) is friendlier and more helpful? (While this is not necessarily a key factor it can give you an image of the school and a glimpse at their culture and values as an academic institution.)

How do the schools compare regarding the costs? What will the difference in costs mean to you over the long haul? Ask yourself if the school will meet your academic needs, if you will have the social life you desire, and if you and your family can make the investment. As you are progressing through your decision making process, remember not to be shy about asking questions and getting them answered because you are entitled to feel confident in your decision. This is your choice. You are not a victim in this process – you are the key active participant. 

Remember, if you want to stop in and talk about your college decision we are always here for you, but know that we can’t make this decision for you – just like your family and friends can’t make this choice for you. The good news – the stress is almost over and you will be relieved to be able to finally answer the question that everyone asks endlessly of “Where are you going to college?”

Senioritis

The number of seniors who have mentioned that they feel like "senioritis"  is taking over is too high to count.  While we understand that it can be a challenge to continue motivating yourself to finish your high school career strong, it is important!

With Seniors only having 4 weeks of high school left, the appeal of letting everything slide to just enjoy the remaining time seems to be very strong. We have even heard younger students claiming to feel “senioritis” early and this is definitely not a good thing.

Third quarter grades were rough (to say the least). This is particularly a concern for seniors as it can jeopardize graduation (a real fear for many) and it can also jeopardize your college future. For example, remember, the colleges reserve the right to revoke your acceptance if the grades you are earning are not on track with what they expected at the time of your application. They can also place you on academic probation and take back scholarship offers. Obviously, these would not be good scenarios, but it does happen across the country every year. 

So, while the weather is finally improving, senior tag, and "fun" days like Arts in Action in the coming weeks may make it hard to focus on the day to day responsibilities of meeting your classroom expectations, it is very important!  Please keep pushing to work hard in your classes!

Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters are a time consuming process requiring a great deal of thought and time by your teachers (or counselor) who write them on your behalf. Juniors, as you finalize the list of schools where you will be applying next fall, it is important to determine if you are going to need a recommendation letter from a teacher (or two). Many of the Ohio schools - Ohio State University, OU, BGSU, Kent State, etc. do not require teacher recommendations. Because rec letters are a time consuming process, if the colleges where you are applying do not require recommendations, then please do not waste your teacher's time by requesting letters that won't be needed or used!

We will be hosting a Junior Seminar Presentation on Thursday morning (April 16th from 8:15-8:35am in Room 201) to address Rec Letters specifically.

If you are applying to schools that require teacher recommendation letters, it is very helpful and beneficial to the teachers if you can give them as much time as possible to write your recommendation letters. That means, if you know now that you are going to be applying to a school which needs a teacher rec letter, then we would suggest that you ask the teachers this spring allowing them to have the entire summer to write your letter. (These next few weeks are a great time to ask!) After you ask your teacher(s), you will want to provide them with information that can help them as they write your letter. We have several handouts in the counseling and career center and on the WKHS Counselor website that you can use for this purpose. 

Caps & Gowns

The reality of high school coming to a close for seniors often starts to set in when caps and gowns are distributed and for the Class of 2026, that will take place during lunch periods over the next 2 days. We love seeing the looks in seniors eyes as they walk away from the tables carrying their cap and gown package. This is such an exciting time in your lives and you have worked hard over the last 13 years to get to this point. Don't forget to keep pushing academically, but also know that it's ok to pause as you pick up your cap and gown and realize that this is part of what your efforts have been for - to reach this milestone in your life! We're proud of you and excited for you.  

Also, one other hint from years of seeing seniors pick up their caps and gowns - when you get home, take the gown out of the bag and hang it up! There will be TONS of creases in your gown and you'll still have to iron/ steam it to try to get them all out, but giving gravity a chance to help is always a plus as well.

Parent Lunch & Learn

On Friday, April 17th from 12-12:30pm we will host our final parent Lunch & Learn session of this school year. This quarter's topic is about choosing Careers and Majors.

For so many students, deciding what they want to be when they grow up and trying to figure out what path to take to get towards their end goal can be a challenge. Our hope is this lunch and learn topic will help parents as you work to support your children with their future exploration.

This brief, 30-minute session, will take place over zoom so that parents can grab their lunch, hop on the session, learn about choosing Careers and Majors, and continue on with your day. The zoom link will be emailed to all parents Friday morning and it will also be posted on the Counselor website.

If you are unable to join us online in person, we will post the video of the session to the Counselor Website within the next week.

Wait Lists

For high school seniors, the question that is asked over and over is "Where are you going to college?" It can be a exciting to share the answer when it is the school you had your heart set on for your future. It can be overwhelming when you still haven't decided and are still trying to figure out which school is the best fit for you. For some students though, this question still brings anxiety and uncertainty because the top school on their list didn't fully accept or reject them - they put them on their Waiting List. Being wait listed often feels like being in an emotional limbo.

We need to be brutally honest (even though we know you don't really want to hear this...) and say that there is not a lot that you can do to improve the chance of coming off the wait list and being accepted to the college. You need to make plans and start getting your mind set on attending one of the other schools who accepted you. If, in time, you find out that you have the opportunity to attend the school that had previously put you on their wait list, then you can re-evaluate and decide if you still want to attend. The reality is that very few students actually end up being selected off the wait list for acceptance. (Once again, this is why it is so important to tell colleges as soon as possible when you know that you will not be attending in the future so that they can make plans to potentially accept other students off their wait list.)

In the mean time, if you decide that you want to remain on a college's waiting list, be sure to follow their directions (usually filling out a form indicating your desire) and then you can also consider sending them a letter updating them about any new achievements, awards, or other information that you have accomplished since your application to their college so that might be able to take that into consideration when making their waiting list decisions. (Some colleges may specifically say that they do or do not accept that supplemental evidence - follow their directions!)

If you are struggling with a wait-list decision, please remember that we are here to talk about it with you.